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Left activists discuss solutions at World at a Crossroads international socialism conference

Sydney -- April 18, 2009 -- Green Left Weekly -- Several participants at the World at a Crossroads conference, held in Sydney on April 10-12, remarked that the conference could not have been better named.

As the world economy lurches into a deep recession, and the looming
climate emergency reaches a crisis point, the world truly is at a
crossroads. The future will be decided in the conflict between the greedy
capitalist elites and those around the world fighting for a far better
world — a world free of racism, war and environmental plunder.

From six continents, 444 socialists, progressive activists and
Marxist thinkers gathered to discuss, debate and learn from various
struggles for human freedom, dignity and justice. More than 70
activists addressed 42 workshops during the conference.

The conference was about creating real solutions to the urgent
problems of climate change, economic meltdown and imperialist war. Mere
reform of the existing capitalist system will not reverse grinding
poverty or halt unpredictable climate change. The path to human liberation requires a radical democracy based on
people’s needs instead of corporate profit. The goal must be to fight
for a socialism of the 21st century, in Australia and around the world.

Capitalism’s crises

The conference, held on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora
nation, was opened by Aboriginal activist Jenny Munro. Munro reminded
the conference of the history of Indigenous resistance to the European
invasion. The conference met on stolen land — land that was never
ceded.

Reihana Mohideen, vice-chair of the international department of the
Power of the Masses Party of the Philippines, spoke in the opening
session titled “Capitalism’s crises and our solutions”. The world’s
poorest, especially women workers, are being hit the hardest by the
economic crisis, she said. “This is not just an economic crisis, but a crisis of the whole
capitalist system. Their new deal is the same old
deal. They aim to make working people pay for the crisis.”

Mohideen warned that it “would be a dangerous illusion” to think
the crisis will mean capitalism will simply collapse. If socialists are
to be relevant in the struggle they must “break with dogmas and
schemas”.

David Spratt, co-author of Climate Code Red: The Case for Emergency Action, said “the obstacles to building a post-carbon society” are not technical or economic but “political and cultural”.

“The fact with climate is that, if we don’t solve this, then nothing else will matter”, he said.

Michael Lebowitz, renowned Marxist economist and author of Build it Now: Socialism for the Twenty-First Century,
also addressed the opening session. “The job of revolutionaries”, he
said, “is not to police the working class … but to use the
opportunities [the crisis presents] to educate the working class about
the nature of capitalism.”

The task before socialists is “to make the crisis in capitalism become a crisis of capitalism”, he said.

Against war and racism

The election of US President Barack Obama and the ongoing “war on
terror” was the topic of another major session at the conference. Pip
Hinman, from the Democratic Socialist Perspective (DSP), rejected the
spin from the US and Australian governments portraying the brutal war
in Afghanistan as the “good war”.

Hinman called for the immediate withdrawal of all Australian troops
from Iraq and Afghanistan. The DSP’s aim “has always been to unite as
many as possible behind clear anti-imperialist demands”, she said.

Salim Vally, spokesperson of the South African Palestine Solidarity
Committee, discussed what to expect from the Obama administration. He
argued Obama, despite his promises, does not stand for a break with US
wars of conquest overseas. While “Martin Luther King spoke the truth to
power, Obama spoke lies to get into power”, he said.

Two representatives of the Australian Tamil community, Arun Murali
and Pramod Devendra, gave a moving talk on the Sri Lankan government’s
genocide against the ethnic Tamil population. Sri Lanka spends 45% of
its gross domestic product on the war against the Tamils, they said.

They called for more solidarity from progressives around the world.
“Genocide is happening again and the world continues not just to ignore
it but continues to fund it”, Murali said.

Socialism and solidarity

Tim Gooden, DSP member and secretary of the Geelong and Region
Trades and Labour Council, discussed how to draw the workers movement
and climate movement closer together. He argued: “Taking up workers’
struggles is taking up climate change. “Capitalism cannot save the planet, and it cannot improve the lives of workers. This part is our job,” Gooden said.

Lebowitz called for socialists to move beyond seeing socialism as merely the opposite of capitalist exploitation. “A society that removes all obstacles to the full development of
human beings was how Marx defined the goal of socialism”, he said.

Luis Bilbao, Argentinean Marxist and founding editor of the Latin American magazine America XXI,
also discussed the ideas of 21st century socialism, which, he said, are
“embodied in entire peoples and movements in Latin America today”.

Bilbao stressed the importance of the Venezuelan and Cuban
revolutions. “The future will not only absolve Fidel Castro but also
the people of Cuba. But what is new is that Cuba is not alone [in Latin
America].”

Abelardo Curbelo, a leader of the Cuban Communist Party, and Nelson
Davila, the head of Venezuela’s diplomatic mission to Australia, also
addressed the conference. The rise of new revolutionary movements
across Latin America means “US hegemony in the region has finished”,
Curbelo said.

The conference celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution and the 10th anniversary of the Venezuelan revolution.

Kavita Krishnan, representing the Communist Party of India
(Marxist-Leninist), Mericio Juvinal Dos Reis, the executive director of
the Luta Hamutuk Institute of East Timor, and Munyaradzi Gwisai, from the
Zimbabwe International Socialist Organisation, addressed a session on
the growing resistance to neoliberalism in the global South.

The conference received greetings from Le Vinh Thu,
Director-General of the Department of Southeast Asia, South Asia and
South Pacific Affairs, External Relations Committee of the Communist
Party of Vietnam..

The final session of the conference was concerned with putting the range of socialist ideas discussed into practice. Canadian socialist Ian Angus, editor of climateandcapitalism.com
and a founder of the Ecosocialist International Network, said
socialists will “have opportunities to grow far more than previously”
in the coming period.

M. Saraswathy, the deputy chairperson of the Socialist Party of
Malaysia, said that “socialism doesn’t drop from the sky — we have to
work for it”. Daphne Lawless, a central committee member of Socialist
Worker (New Zealand), spoke out against sectarianism on the left. “We
need a socialism of the 21st century that leaves behind socialist
identity politics”, she said.

Peter Boyle, DSP national secretary, paid tribute to the example of
the Venezuelan revolution. He urged continued international
collaboration between socialists of varied traditions. “I pledge, on
behalf of the DSP, that we will carry on this struggle here in
Australia”, he said.